Japan cruises past to quarter-final win against China – Volleyball News
Women’s Olympic volleyball teams from Japan and China crossed their ways on Tuesday and staged a great volleyball scrimmage at the Earls Court.
Japanese team proved to be better and pulled off success in five sets, 3-2 (28-26, 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, and 18-16). The winning team successfully booked a slot in the semi-finals of the Women’s Olympic Volleyball Tournament. China, on the other hand, dropped
its chances to advance to the final four stage of the tournament.
Victory of Japan was mainly credited to Yukiko Ebata and Saori Kimura, who shared the top-scorer’s spot with 33 points apiece. They added 31 and 32 spikes respectively. Risa Shinnabe also went into double digits and helped Japan with 12 points.
For China, h*i Ruoqi and Wang Yimei paced things. The duo put in great effort, but still failed to lead China to success. They added 26 and 22 points respectively.
The match between China and Japan was a heated competition in a true sense. The affair started out on a high note and early exchange of rallies created a great vibe in the competition. Japan’s top spiker Ebata produced exquisite shots and directed the ball
in rare gaps. China hit back with Ruoqi and remained hand-in-hand with Japan. The opening frame covered its length in 30 minutes and Japan won the fight.
In the following set, situation remained tight but China managed to overcome the rival side. Third set came successful for Japan, while China created the dead-lock of 2-2 in fourth set. The game entered fifth decisive set, which ended with the final score
of 18-16. Japan earned two-point advantage and settled for victory.
Japanese star Saori Kimura said: “I have been playing and practising in training for three-and-a-half years to win an Olympic medal, so to be on that stage is wonderful. Whichever team we meet in the semis, I will try my best”.
China’s best scorer h*i Ruoqi shared her thoughts in the following manner: “We really had a lot of pressure today and we played our best. This match is a lesson for us, we must accept the result. The final point was my responsibility. The serve was not so
aggressive, but because we really wanted to win, there was a problem (playing with pressure).”
In the next run, Team Japan is all up to give the same treatment to Brazil. However, it will not be an easy ride as the South American team is also enjoying a great form and has shown great desire to reach the final showdown of the tournament. The two sides
will meet on Thursday at the Earls Court. Check back for more news and updates.
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